Bryce Harper homers and Zack Wheeler dominates as Phillies move closer to clinching NL East with win over Brewers

MILWAUKEE — In his pregame bullpen on Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler didn’t have the best feel for his fastball.

He tried not to dwell on it, and hoped he could wipe the slate clean for his start against the Brewers. Early in the game, catcher J.T. Realmuto called a lot of fastballs to try and help him feel more comfortable with the pitch. Of the nine pitches Wheeler used in the first inning, seven were four-seamers and the other two were sinkers.

It paid off, and Wheeler retired the first three hitters he saw. So they kept using it. Over the seven innings Wheeler pitched in the Phillies’ 5-1 win over Milwaukee, he turned to his four-seam 64% of the time. It touched 97 mph and induced 13 swing-and-misses.

“It was true for the most part. Sometimes it was starting to tail a little bit, but it was true, had good spin,” Wheeler said. “It was going where I wanted it to. I was up and down with it, in and out. J.T. called a great game.”

Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper homered to help the Phillies reduce their magic number for a postseason berth to one. Their magic number for their first National League East title since 2011 is four. The Phillies also secured the tiebreaker over the Brewers by winning the season series.

The Brewers ended Wheeler’s shutout bid in the fourth inning, when William Contreras singled and then scored from first on a Garrett Mitchell triple. Wheeler was able to strand Mitchell at third base with a swinging strikeout — which came via his four-seam — and forced a line out to right field.

Wheeler cruised through the rest of his outing, only allowing one more single until he was lifted for Matt Strahm after the seventh inning.

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“He’s really something, man, he’s been so consistent ever since he’s gotten here, and he’s earned every penny he’s made,” said manager Rob Thomson. “He’s so huge to this club. … He just takes the ball and he can manhandle people when he wants to.”

In his previous start against the Rays, Wheeler didn’t have his sharpest command and walked three batters. On Tuesday, he did not issue a single walk and was more efficient, needing just 99 pitches to finish seven innings.

“He’s a Cy Young, man,” Harper said. “I don’t think anybody in baseball is better than him at this point. I don’t think anybody in the National League is either. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about [Chris Sale] the guy throwing down there. But I thought he got robbed of it three years ago, and I believe he earned it this year.”

Outside Castellanos’ solo home run in the second inning, the Phillies couldn’t get much going off Brewers starter Frankie Montas until their third time through the order. Montas recorded 10 strikeouts, tying his season-high.

Kyle Schwarber began the sixth by beating out the throw on a softly hit grounder to third for an infield single. Harper then connected on a cutter left over the heart of the plate and launched it to center field to break the 1-1 tie. It marked his third home run in the last four games, after ending his nearly monthlong homer drought on Saturday.

“[Montas has] got good stuff,” Harper said. “I kind of always miss the heater, that cutter thing, and he throws that split finger.”

In his return from the injured list, Edmundo Sosa doubled to lead off the seventh. He came around to score on an unusual infield hit from Schwarber, who hit a ball softly toward Milwaukee relief pitcher Jake Bauers. The ball deflected off Bauers and into no-man’s land through the infield, allowing Schwarber to reach first and the Phillies to tack on another run.

They added another insurance run in the ninth. Johan Rojas walked, stole second, and was driven home by a Trea Turner single. Jeff Hoffman retired the side in order to lock up the victory.

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The Phillies can clinch a postseason berth on Wednesday with either a win or a Braves loss to Cincinnati, though their sights are set on something bigger.

“We’ll do a little something [to celebrate], because it’s an accomplishment getting in the playoffs in this league, it really is,” Thomson said. “To me, it’s bigger accomplishment to win this division, because there’s so many good teams in this division. But it’s a huge accomplishment.”